Beet-loading machine



a. (3. EVANS ET AL BEET LOADING MACHINE Filed Aug. 6. 1&2], 3Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS 2 6? 5mm: A/YD E. c. EVANS ET AL BEET LOADINGMACHINE Sept. 23 1924. 3,509,129

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Patented Sept. 23, 1924.,

ELLIE G. EVANS AND PATRICK C. ROBERTS, OF WILEY, COLORADO.

BEET-LOADING MACHINE.

Application filed August 6, 1921. Serial No. 490,350.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ELLIE C. EVANS and PATRICK C. Ronnn'rs, citizens ofthe United States, residing at V'Viley, in the county of Prowers andState of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements' inBeet-Loading Machines, of which theflfollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to beet loading machines and its main object isto provide a machine ofsimple, strong and practical conerectionwhichwhen driven over a field on which harvested beets have been deposited inpiles or windrows will automatically pick up the beets and carry them toan elevated point of discharge above a wagon drawn alongside of themachine.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a beet loading machine,improved 2 driving means which facilitate its movement through heavy anduneven soil.

A further object to provide an improved means for picking up the beetsfrom the ground. Still another object is to provide in a machine of theabove described character, an" elevator of large capacity which iscapable of carrying its load along a comparatively steep incline andthereby avoids the necessity of using a long overhanging structureliable to disturb the equilibrium of the carriage on which it ismounted, anda further object is to provide aconveyor for carrying thebeets to the elevator, which automatically frees them from equ'ablyirrespective of the distribution of its load.

With the above and other objects in view all of which will fully appearin the course of the following description, our invention consists inthe construction and the arrangement of parts illustrated in theaccompanyring drawings in the several views of which like parts aresimilarly designated, and in which-'- Figure 1 is a fragmentary planview of our improved beet loading machine Figure 2, a longitudinalsectional eleva sea of the same taken onthe line 22, Figure 1 Figure 3,a front elevation looking in the direction ofthe' arrow A, Figure 1;

igure 4, anenlargedside elevation of the pickup and" feed elements ofthe machine dirt, weeds and trash and which operates looking in thedirection of the arrow B, Figure 1, and

Figure 5, an enlarged plan view of a portion of the pickup element.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character 2 designates a framesupported at its front end on traction wheels 3, and at its opposite endupon a swiveled steering wheel L.

The frame which is preferably composed of structural metal comprises arectangular body section 5 which supports the conveying and elevatingelements of the machine, and a rearwardly extending platform section 6of trapezoidal form upon which the engine and the controlling, steeringand adjusting mechanisms of the machine are mounted in convenientproximity to the operators seat 7. i

The steering wheel which is of the coaster type is swiveled at the rearend of the platform section 6 in rigid connection with a semicirculargear wheel 8 which meshes with a corresponding wheel 9 of smallerdiameter on an upright steering shaft 10.

The shaft which carries a wheel 12 at its upper end, is mounted forwardof and within easy reach of the drivers seat, and the transmissionmechanism provides in a sim ple manner the leverage required to maintainthe guide wheel 4 under control while the machine is being driventhrough heavy and deeply rutted ground.

The traction wheels at the front end of the frame are mounted on shortaxles 13 which at their ends are rotatably supported in bearings 14. Thetwo axles are separately connected with a line shaft 15 by means ofsprocket chains 16 and the line shaft is composed of axially alinedsections which through the intermediary of a differential movement 17are operatively connected to a transversely extending drive shaft 18.

It will be seen that bythis arrangement the traction wheels are capableof rotating simultaneously at different velocities which is obviously ofgreat advantage in the operation of the machine which involves frequentchanges of direction in order to gather the beets distributed inseparate piles and windrows over the harvested field.

The driving shaft 18 is, through the medium of an adjustablefriction-gearing 19 connected with an engine 20 mounted on the platformof the carriage with its controlling levers within easy reach of theoccupant of the seat 7.

The engine may be of any desired char acter or construction, it beingpreferable to use a small motor of the internal combustion type inconnection with a fuel tank mounted on or below the platform of themachine.

Slanting downwardly from the forward end of the carrier frame is aconveyor frame 21 which at its upper end is pivotally supported betweentwo upright posts 22 through the medium of a transverse shaft 23. Theframe includes two connected parallel bars, side shields 24 whichprevent spilling of the beets carried on the conveyor, and braces 25which extend from the forward ends of the bars to the rearward upperends of the side shields which preferably are reenforced by uprightcleats 26. a

The pivoted conveyor frame is in its normal position supported uponsmall rollers 45 which move along the surface of the ground. Convergingpull rods 27 pivotally connected at the upper ends of the cleats 26 areattached to a swinging standard 28 which through the medium of a singlerod 29 is connected to an adjusting lever 30. The lever which is mountedin proximity to the drivers seat carries the usualv handactuated detentwhich cooperates with a notched segment 31 to lock the lever in itsadjusted positions.

It will be apparent that by this arrangement of parts, the operator ofthe machine is enabled to lift the front end of the conveyor frame toany desired distance above the surface of the ground.

The conveyor which carries the beets after they have been lifted fromthe ground, to the elevator hereinafter to be described, consists of aplurality of chains 32 which are separately mounted in parallel andspaced relation to each other upon sprocket wheels 33 and 40 on thebefore-mentioned shaft 23 at the upper end of the slanting frame 21 anda therewith parallel shaft 34 at the lower end of the same.

The upper shaft carries at one of its ends, a beveled gear wheel 35which meshes with a corresponding gear wheel 36 of smaller diameter on atransmission shaft 37 which is supported in bearings on the body sectionof the carrier frame and which at its opposite end has a beveled gearwheel 38 in operative engagement with a driving pinion 39 on the shaftof the motor.

The sprocket wheels 40 on the lower con veyor shaft 34 are separatedfrom each other by interposed collars 41 each having a number ofequidistant radially projecting prongs 42 which collectively constitutethe lifting or pick-up element of the machine.

The radiating prongs which in the operation of the conveyor move closeto the surface of the ground, are of suflicient length to enter into thespaces beneath the beets and lift them onto the upper stretches of theendless chains 32 which collectively form the conveyor.

The prongs have at their outer extremities rounded knobs 43 whichprevent injury to the beets with which they engage and the chains of theconveyor each include a number of links provided with outwardlyprojecting lugs 44 to prevent the downward movement of the beets.

In the operation of the machine, the radial prongs of the rotary pick-upelement, engage the under side of the beets deposited on the field andlift them onto the upwardly moving upward stretches of the chains of theconveyor. The movements of the spaced chains free the beets of adherentdirt and of weeds and other trash with which they are intermixed, sothat at the time of their discharge they are in a substantially cleancondition.

T he beets delivered from the chains at the upper end of the conveyorfall upon a grid 46 along which they are crowded onto the horizontalportion of an endless belt-conveyor 47 which constitutes the elevator ofthe machine.

The grid which is composed of a number of parallel bars of smalldiameter is instrumental in further freeing the beets from dirt andrubbish after leaving the conveyor. j,

The elevator is composed of two endless chains 49 connected bytransverse slats 48. The lower portions of the chains move in asubstantially horizontal direction over sprocket wheels on shafts 15mounted on the body section of the frame and their upper portions aremounted to move on a steep incline on a superstructure 51 of the framewhich slants outwardly to an elevated point beyond a side thereof.

Th upwardly slanting portion of the elevator is supported on sprocketwheels with which its chains engage and the sprocket wheels are mountedin pairs on shafts 52 which are supported in bearings on the upwardlyslanting frame 51.

The endless conveyor is provided at regular intervals with transverseseries of up standing rods 53 which are connected at their upperextremities by transverse rails 54.

The series of interconnected rods provide partitions which incooperation with shields 55 extending upwardly at opposite sides of thelevator frame, divide the space above the conveyor into compartmentseachv adapted to contain a considerable amount of beets.

The division of the space above the ele vator greatly increases itscapacity and at the same time permits of moving the load along the steepincline'required for its discharge into a wagon 56, drawn alongside ofthe machine without disturbing the equilibrium of the moving structure.

The elevator is operated through the me dium of a chain 57 which engageswith a sprocket wheel at the end of the sprocket Wheel shaft at theupper end of the endless conveyor 47, and a sprocket wheel mounted or;the before-mentioned transmission shaft 3 Two frames 58 and 59 dependingfrom the elevator frame support a pair of rollers 60 which prevent theload of a wagon driven alongside the machine from interfering with themovement of the endless conveyor and the rearmost one of these frames isextended downwardly to provide a fender which prevents the wagon fromstriking the wheels of the loading machine. 7

The various frames comprised in the machine are suitably braced whereverit is found necessary to increase the strength and rigidity of thestructure, and we desire it understood that modifications in the formand arrangement of the frames, as well as of the elementssupportedthereon, may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a beet-loading machine, the combination of a wheel-supportedframe, an e1e vator for moving beets to an elevated point of discharge,a slanting conveyorfor feeding beets to the elevator, consisting ofupper and lower shafts, series of spaced sprocket wheels on the shaftsand chains separately engaging with said sprocket wheels, and a pick-upelement consisting of teeth projecting radially from the lower shaft ofthe conveyor between its sprocket wheels.

2; n a beet-loading machine, the combination of a wheel-supported frame,an elevator for moving beets to an elevated point of discharge, aslanting conveyor for feed ing beets to the elevator, and a pick-upelement at the lower end of the conveyor, consisting of a rotary seriesof radial teeth having knobs at their extremities.

In testimony whereof we have aflixed our signatures.

ELLIE G. EVANS. PATRICK G. ROBERTS.

